Packiging net.

Today in the college we were introduced to the idea of building a packaging net. We were presented with different sorts of packaging nets and were shown how to make a net using AI.  

Thanks to some help from my tutor I was able to build a net for the box that I designed for the BOX brief.

Evaluation:

The ability to build the net helped me to speed up my workflow. I didn`t have to rely on any outside sources. Creating a net gave me the possibility to manufacture a prototype of my packaging. 

The net helped me a lot in creating the layout of my design- it made the job much easier. Thanks to it I would be able to put the elements of my design on a 2d surface. This way of presentation will gave me the chance to get across my ideas easily.

As a prospective graphic designer I would probably come across packaging design briefs. The knowledge and ability to build a packaging net (and then packaging prototypes) would contribute to the quality of customer presentation.

Experience in using CAD is one of the basics requirements that are stated in numerous job offers.

http://veerle.duoh.com/

Among numerous graphic design blogs that I found on the Internet the "Veerle`s blog" ( http://veerle.duoh.com//) attracted my special attention. Not only was the appealing and eye-catching graphic and layout of the website worth a second look but also interesting and useful tutorials that was posted on this website.

Creating a color palette.

For one of the on-line tutorials that I have been doing recently I needed a specific color palette which would consist of  36 color swatches going from bright yellow, to orange, red, purple, blue, green. This gave me a chance to learn how to create a new color pattern in the swatches panel. Because I`ve never done this before I started looking up on the Internet to find a tutorial on how to build up a new color pattern.
I came across this you tube film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSnR9l897t8, which explains step by step how to save a new color group in the swatches panel in the Illustrator.

I wanted the transition between the colors to be as smooth and delicate as possible, that`s why I was trying to blend colors of similar shade.
I started from drawing two objects and filling them with two colors: bright yellow and red. I selected the two objects and went to Object- Blend- Make. This option allows to make a smooth transition between objects as well as create a blends of colors.

By going to the blend options you can establish the amount of steps that the transition will make.

I was blending different colors to the point when I got the amount of shades that I wanted.

When I was satisfied with the color transition I went to the swatches panel it the upper right corner of the swatches window and opened "New color group" in the fly-out menu. I named the new color group that I was about to create. 

A new folder opened in the swatches window. I selected the eyedropper and clicked on the first square the color of the square appeared as the fill color. I went to the fill icon and simply drag it across to the new color group folder. Step by step I created the color palette that I wanted. 

I found this new skill very useful and handy. Creating new color palette certainly can add to the creativity and speed up the work flow as well. 

Illustrator Essentials Magazine

A couple of months ago I came across the Illustrator Essential Magazine which turned out to be a very rich  source of useful advice on how to get started and improve skills in Adobe Illustrator.

The magazine contains nearly 30 step-by-step tutorials and loads of tips for all levels of illustrator users. Apart from that it offers an access to 14 video lessons. 

I have been practicing with the magazine since then. It helped me to understand better some of the Illustrator features and learn new skills which helped me to speed up my work flow. 

Packaging Design- developing an initial idea.

My next step of designing the packaging for the Box company was developing my chosen initial idea. I started from looking for some inspiration on the INTERNET. I aimed to design a straightforward and down-to-earth box. I wanted my design to be catchy and witty. 

I was looking for some funny and catchy phrases about men`s underwear, and I came across some jokes on the INTERNET. 

This is one example:

Under Where? You: Hey, what are you doing under there? Your helpless victim: …under where? You: YOU SAID UNDERWEAR!

Packaging Design- initial ideas

Today I started drawing my initial ideas for the packaging brief. I was experimenting with different sorts of shapes of packaging to find one that is going to suit the brief best.

Eventually I decided to go for a simple, traditional box shape that opens up from a top. My idea is to decorate the box with a bold design. Keeping the form of the box simple will allow me to build a good balance between the construction of the packaging and the design on the box.  

Analyzing job and personal specifications.

Recently I`ve been searching through graphic design job offers which are available on numerous recruitment websites. I`ve been trying to understand what requirements are most commonly specified in this adverts and think about my own skills and abilities which could suit them. 

Analyzing a graphic designer`s  job offers I realized that a great impact is put on communication skills. Apart from obvious requirements  like ability to think creatively and relevant knowledge on appropriate level,  skills like ability to manage own workload and work within set time parameters, lateral thinking or the ability to work collaboratively are essential.

Because I didn`t give enough thought to this part of job specification before, this time  I decided to focus on the ones which concern team work, communication and management skills.

In my research I focused on job offers for  junior and freelance graphic designers- the ones I could be interested in.  The job specifications vary depending on  the character of the job, but analyzing a few of them I was able to find a common ground for all of them.

I separated the requirements into four parts- experience, knowledge, collaborative skills and skills and attributes which influence the individual work.

Experience.

Nowadays relevant experience is vital in nearly every job. It is no different in graphic designer world. Some of the job offers cites a very specific requirements concerning experience- which is often of 2-3 years whereas other job offers mention just the field of experience which is required, but not the exact time span i.e. experience in using CMS systems

I have no working experience in graphic design industry but I could get an experience in some specific area of graphic design through college or work placement.

Knowledge.

Depending on a company the requirements concerning the level of knowledge can vary. I noticed that the most wanted is print production and the relevant computer programs knowledge. Some of the job specifications mention school degree, but that  is just minority of them.

I think my college is going to help me to get knowledge on appropriate level. I`m going to have to expand it though home study as well (i.e. through on-line tutorials etc) The internet is a great source of information on graphic design. On this stage of my study I don`t think my level of knowledge would meet the requirements specified by employers.

 Collaborative skills.

A great impact is put on communication skills. This helps in team work as well as dealing with a client directly. The ability to present ideas or creative concept is important too.

I think I am a person who enjoys  team working which I could tell from my previous job experience. I am not a leader type, that is why I`m not able to manage people in their work.   

Skills and attributes which influence the individual work.

All the job offers I have seen emphasize the importance of the ability to manage your own workload, great  attention to details, excellent time management skills, self-motivation and enthusiasm.

Over the last 2 years in college I`ve been learning how to manage a project and organize my own work. Despite of this experience I think that there is still a big scope for improvement. Last year`s ppd task concerning time management skills made me aware of the techniques to learn it. I`m still learning how to manage my time. I`m going to take a closer look to my time management skills  and try to improve it.

Unfortunately I am not a person who pays attention to details. Being aware of this and knowing that this a precious attribute of graphic designer  I try to focus more on details.

Summary:

The typical work activities for graphic designers include:

-meeting clients to establish the business objectives and requirements of the job

-interpreting business needs and coming up with a concept to suit their  purpose

-estimating time frame for the project

-developing design brief

-thinking creatively to produce an idea or concept

-presenting finalized ideas to the clients

-working as a part of a team with printers, copywriters, photographers etc.

To perform well in the industry graphic designer has to meet requirements listed in job specifications. The most commonly mentioned specifications are:

excellent communication skills

ability to sell/present an idea/creative concept

ability to deal with client directly

great attention to details

ability to manage own workload